The students love telling stories about the professor who only held class seven times in one semester or the professor who just showed videos in class. Some hold their finals two weeks early. The requirements and expectations vary greatly amongst the different majors.

This has a parallel in the Swedish discussion as de facto cuts of student/teacher-ratios has meant that students in many subjects only have 5-6 hours of classes each week. On the other hand, the quality of teaching probably varies more among US colleges than among Swedish universities and colleges.

P.O. Ågren here from Umeå on the other hand asks if the emphasis on employability in European (including Danish and Swedish) higher education policy has gone too far, leading to a neglect of more traditional academic competences and long-term flexibility.

PS: The Swedish term for employability is a true tongue-breaker – anställningsbarhet!